I have been meaning to read The Reluctant Fundamentalist for a long time, I have again and again picked it up and left it unopened. But today when I picked it up, I couldn’t keep it down. I finished it in one go… guess the book deserved it. It speaks on behalf of the most under represented group of all… a genuine muslim… and a true Pakistani who is up in arms against the US
The book does not attempt to provide answers, but has managed to raise a lot of questions. It attempts to ask if a successful Princeton Graduate comes back to Pakistan, disgusted by US policies, is he a fundamentalist? We have perhaps not formally labeled Pakistan as a terrorist state but the socially we have tainted Pakistan and all the muslims in it. Is this a step towards curbing fundamentalism or encouraging it?
In just the story of one life, one person the book has managed to question the collective wisdom of our world leaders. It talks of identity crisis, nostalgia and the extent to which human mind feeds on it. Through love and passion, it conveys the dangers of hatred.
Final Verdict: the book has manages to alarm you and make you think. It’s not meant for a break, it’s a serious book in search of serious answers.
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